Johannesburg — AmaZulu’s chances of progressing to the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League are hanging by a thread after they lost 2-0 to Raja Casablanca in the penultimate group game at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday night.
This result left Usuthu in third place in Group B with six points, six behind leaders Raja who qualified for the last eight with a game to spare. They are also tied on six points with the second-placed ES Setif who have two games in hand.
Having lost in theIr last game away to ES Setif, Usuthu came to this match hoping to turn their fortunes around. So much so that they were banking on the few fans that were allowed in the venue to be the fuel that will drive them to a win.
Usuthu started the game on a high note. Such that their early build-up play appeared as though it would bear fruits. But the visitors had other ideas as they quickly annihilated that fire by capitalising on their first real chance of the game.
Mohsine Moutaouali picked up an unmarked Hamid Ahadad with a diagonal curler. Ahadad nicely controlled the ball in front of a no man’s land Veli Mothwa before lobbing it over the goalkeeper as the shot sailed into an empty net.
From thereon, the two teams came out to play, with most of the action played in the heart of the midfield. Duo Khehleni Makhaula and Keagan Buchanan did well to protect their defensive unit – a feat that forced Raja to use the wide channels.
In the 22nd minute, Raja should have doubled their lead after a Moutaouali curler was parried back into play by Mothwa. But Marouane Hadhoudi failed to capitalize on the rebound as the defender fired the close-range effort over the crossbar.
After being on the backfoot for the better part of the first half, Usuthu started to come out and play towards the half-an-hour mark. As a result, they had their first shot on target after Luvuyo Memela forced Marouane Fakhir into a save with his legs.
Prior to this match, goalie Mothwa had received a lot of criticism after his inconsistent form as many questioned his call-up in the Bafana Bafana squad for their two international friendlies in the next two weeks against Guinea and France.
But Usuthu No. 1 proved his worth as he kept his team in the game in the first half. Mohammed Nahir unleashed a thunderbolt set-piece, but Mothwa stood firm as he parried the shot against the crossbar before it sailed for a corner-kick.
The first half ended with the visitors still holding the slender lead. But Usuthu will feel hard-done as they dominated most of the possession, while they had lost Augustine Mulenga, who was replaced by Bongi Ntuli, to an injury in the half.
Usuthu started the second half well, in search of an equaliser. But the visitors stood their ground, repelling away all the danger. In search of that goal, coach Benni McCarthy even sacrificed defender Sandile Khumalo for Hendrick Ekstein.
But Raja found their second of the game from Ilias Haddad from close-range after some porous defence from the hosts, who’ll bank on Horoya to beat or draw with ES Setif later today in order for them to take the last eight qualifiers to the wire.
IOL Sport